Michael DiBiase
1.1K posts
@MichaelPDiBiase
President & CEO, RI Public Expenditure Council; former RI DOA Director; Fidelity Investments alum; passionate about government policy, skiing, church choir
The @RICurrent's @NancyKLavin highlights key findings from RIPEC’s Economic Prosperity Scorecard, pointing to large declines across several major state rankings, including personal income per capita, GDP per capita, and labor force productivity. rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/04/29/rho…
How does Rhode Island's economy compare? RIPEC’s Economic Prosperity Scorecard and interactive 50-state map lets you explore rankings, trends, and key economic indicators over time. Dive into the data and see where the Ocean State stands: ripec.org/rhode-islands-…
Great reporting from @NBC10_Tamara on RIPEC’s latest report on chronic absenteeism in Rhode Island. The Ocean State saw the 5th-largest decline nationally, but without state authority to mandate best practices, wide disparities across districts remain. turnto10.com/i-team/uneven-…
RIPEC testified yesterday in support of a commission to study shared services and school district regionalization. RI’s K–12 system struggles to achieve economies of scale; 14 districts now serve <2K students, and enrollment declines (10% since FY20) make the issue more urgent
RIPEC's @MichaelPDiBiase presented to state legislators this week on the proposed Millionaire’s Tax. Our analysis highlights the risk of pushing business investment out of state, and exacerbating Rhode Island’s already weak competitive standing. Link to the presentation⬇️
Strong public policy starts with trusted research. Your gift on 401 Gives helps RIPEC ensure objective data and independent analysis continue to guide our state’s future. Visit bit.ly/4swfPPU on March 31st or April 1st to donate. ⚓
"Rhode Island’s incomplete recovery from this crisis reveals two important truths about our education system. First, meaningful improvement is possible when the state applies focus. Second, without stronger statewide authority, some children will not benefit from that progress."
At our Directors and Trustees meeting this morning, we heard a panel discussion on @GovDanMcKee's energy proposal from key players: the governor’s Senior Advisor Reily Connaughton, @RIDPUC Administrator Linda George, and @wearerienergy's Government Affairs Director Nicholas Ucci
House Finance is considering a 50% tax hike on income over $1M but Rhode Island doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. Since FY19, state revenues grew 6.3% avg. annual vs. 4.2% inflation, yet lawmakers added $100M+ in new taxes and fees last year.
New: Rhode Island has made real progress reducing chronic absenteeism since the pandemic—but progress has been uneven. Some districts have improved dramatically. Others still face persistently high chronic absenteeism rates. Our analysis: ripec.org/2026-chronic-a…
A tale of two cities. While Rhode Island has staged one of the most dramatic post-pandemic attendance turnarounds in the nation, the recovery hasn't been equal across local school districts. @TimWhiteRI + I dug into the findings of a new @RIPEC_ report wpri.com/target-12/a-ta…
